WELLFLEET — A small number of people had a lot of questions about Tasers on Thursday night at a public forum hosted by Police Chief Ronald Fisette.

Fisette plans to ask annual town meeting voters on April 22 for $10,000 to buy the police department's first six Tasers along with training and equipment. The board of selectmen and the town finance committee will likely discuss the planned purchase Tuesday as part of a meeting about capital purchases for the upcoming fiscal year.

On Thursday, Yarmouth police Lt. Kevin Lennon, a Taser instructor, said the need for the weapon is even greater in rural areas such as Wellfleet, where police don't have a large contingent of backup officers to call quickly to a tense situation.

A Taser is an electronic weapon comparable to a police baton or pepper spray in terms of circumstances of use, Lennon said.

Typically the weapon is used when police are asking for compliance from a person but that person is resisting, such as pulling away when told to do something or adopting a fighting stance. But the electrical charge a Taser deploys basically paralyzes a troublemaker for five seconds, allowing an officer to place the person in custody with little risk of long-term injury to either of the two people.

In the Yarmouth Police Department, in a three-month period and with 63 officers carrying Tasers, the weapons were used three times, Lennon said. "The Taser is basically an equalizer," Lennon said.

A Taser sends the electrical charge to a human, either from direct application on the body or through sharp probes shot from a distance of up to 25 feet. Lennon has been deliberately paralyzed by a Taser as part of his own training.

"It hurts," Lennon said. "It hurts a lot, but as soon as you turn the Taser off, you're back to normal. No long-term effects."

Watch this 2008 Times video of a Taser in action:

About 10 citizens attended the meeting including Selectman Berta Bruinooge, chairman of the board, Selectman John Morrissey, Town Administrator Harry Terkanian and finance committee member Janet Loewenstein. Attendees asked what could happen to someone healthwise if they are stunned by a Taser. Generally, Lennon said, a hit from a Taser does not have any lasting effects on internal organs, and that officers are trained specifically to avoid hitting sensitive areas, such as the face, chest or groin.

"Have people died after being exposed to a Taser?" one person asked.

"Yes," Lennon said. But people have also died from use of pepper spray, he said.

"Can civilians obtain Tasers?"

"No, not in Massachusetts," Lennon said.

Another attendee asked how much training is required.

Six hours, Lennon said, plus additional testing on local police policies, state standards and proficiency in a drill involving stress.

"Is there a liability to the town?"

"There's always potential for liability," Lennon said.

"I think personally that people think it's cruel," Bruinooge said. "But I think if more people saw your baton ..."

"There's a lot of misinformation (about Tasers)," Loewenstein said. "The argument about backup is the best one I've heard. That makes sense."